[Air-Researcher]

Has anyone ever taken a close look at the CAF badges and wings from 1920-1924 and realised that the initials do not actually reflect "Canadian Air Force" CAF, but that the initials are in fact a Capitol C with a diminuative capitol "A" overlaid with a large capitol "A"?

Canadian Army Aviator?

Canadian Aviation Authority?

Civil Aviation Aviator?

Has anyone ever come up with a primary source document from archives Canada that has a confirmed specification for the initials on the badges and wings ??

The government does not do anything without a record of why - and more importantly HOW MUCH it would cost.. so a definite "request for quote" of a specific layout and with specific wording would have to have been sent to the shop who accomplished the final work in order to get a quote of how much it would cost in order for treasury to sign off on it.. These badges would have had their intial mould / dies hand carved and then been poured in their final metal by a jeweler. Slight distortions in shape would come from being taken from the mould too soon after they were cast but not completely cooled as well as differences on the hardness of the metals cast ( any Purity or hardness "Marks" on them? or a jewelers touch-mark?)

1) The discolourations on some issues of the officers' badges and wings may well come from the inclusion of other precious metals.. knowing which issues and which medals had differing colours can aid in identifying either an increase or decrease in impurity ..

2) Quite frequently old or un-used precious metals are re-cast into a new form, and where a frugal (Or cheap) minded person wishes to save on the cost of the metal to be cast they would scrounge whatever precious metal they could find and request that it be used for the final casting.

3) it is entirely possible (and most likely what actually happened) that the person requesting the Officers Cap badges and Pilots wings to be created for the CAF supplied the actual "Metal" to be used in order to reduce costs.. the first (and future) officers of the CAF, knowing full well where that metal came from would have had great enjoyment poking fun at someone over it .. all the more to the history of the Canadian Air Force and the "laughter silvered wings"..

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings - John Gillespie Magee

So, who would the Officers/Pilots of the new force in 1920 been rolling on the floor laughing at? Answer that question and you may have a reason to understand some of the allusions made by Magee...

Would the officers have thrown their unwanted medals into a common pot passed around like a collection plate at a sunday sermon in order to collect enough precious metal? Which of the officers really hated a medal they received from a government official and refused to wear it, instead offering it up for "Collection"...